


What if? The Adventures in KotOR

by Ealasme, Yuuka Hanamaya (Ealasme)



Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23697763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealasme/pseuds/Ealasme, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealasme/pseuds/Yuuka%20Hanamaya
Summary: When Tessa, a teenage nerd obsessed with KotOR wakes up in the Taris undercity, she thinks she'll have the time of her life. But things don't go exactly as planned. Just how dark is the reality of living in Star Wars? Follow her and Revan's journey through love, loss, and the struggles of the dark side. *At times, cussing and graphic descriptions of violence. Mainly FemRevxCarth but there are other couples as well (that I can't reveal without spoiling surprises). I promise there actually is a point to it all in terms of plot points, but mostly I started writing this about ten years ago just to have fun. Explore a more in-person view of Revan's life as a side character in a slightly realistic version of the journey. Part one in a four part series. Re-posted from fanfiction.***Starts off slightly horrible, but my writing gets better as the chapters go on****
Relationships: Carth Onasi/Female Revan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Waking Up

Pain hit me so hard I thought I would puke. Tears burned at my eyes and only added to the mind-boggling confusion I felt, followed very shortly by horrific fear.

I was not home.

My head throbbed as I peeked open one eye to look at my surroundings. The fear I had felt earlier crept up my spine in a powerful tremor.

I wasn't home. There was no fan going off in my room like there normally was. There was no soft light emitting faintly to my right from my younger sister's window drapes. There was no warm atmosphere that my home in Colorado had. No. I wasn't home. Even without peeking my eyes open, I could feel the difference in the air, and not just from the slight chill I was given by the cold room I was in. It was a difference in the fact you could feel darkness rolling off of the people living in the vicinity.

The familiar smell of home didn't reach my senses, but the disgusting stench of death and decay filled my nostrils. I struggled to keep my face neutral at the smell, the distraction almost steering me away from the pain in my skull. Thoughts ran to my head in an organized order, just as I had been trained to do. Be calm. But being calm didn't stop the horrifying fear from painfully running up my spine. More tears welled up, and not from pain.

 _Well,_ I thought. I'm obviously not home. _I wasn't woken up last night in my sleep, so I can only assume I had been drugged to be moved to wherever I am now. The question is... Where exactly is, "Here"? Dare I open my eyes? If I open them, my capturers might know I'm awake. They probably already know by now anyway, but it's worth a shot to be stealthy._ I felt myself suddenly feel very tired. _Just who_ are _my capturers?_ I gulped what felt like a rock down my throat. _Where is my family?_

I listened for any sign of life. I didn't hear what I expected to: maybe thugs, or human traffickers, or terrorists. I heard faint buzzes of what sounded kind of like a motorcycle or an automobile, only... lighter, kind of. It sounded sort of like something you'd hear in a Back to the Future movie, or maybe The Fifth Element.

_What on Earth would make THAT noise?_

I listened further. Muffled voices came from what sounded like behind a wall or door.

"You intend to just let her stay here?" Asked a crispy feminine voice, sounding a little beyond irritated. I was immediately enthralled with it. It sounded particularly familiar, though I wasn't quite sure where it was from.

"We can't just leave her out in the streets, Zaerdra. Who knows what those Vulkers will do to her." Replied a deeper voice, full of the authority that a father would have.

I now froze completely, breathing and all. Both voices sounded familiar, yes. But that wasn't what I was stunned spitless about. Did he just say Vulkers? I tried to piece everything together.

As a child and even into my adulthood, I had been enthralled and obsessed with a Star Wars game, Knights of the Old Republic. I had played it so many times I could give histories of every character and quote every line word for word. Yet, as I listened to the people arguing, I could place their voices but not their words.

 _Surely if someone had played a track from the game I would recognize it._ I told myself. _Maybe I'm on a show with the voice actors? ... No. I should get some more information before I jump to silly conclusions._

My musing's were interrupted by the woman named Zaerdra. "You should have just left her to die in the streets like everyone else." She said, voice holding no real emotion.

A shiver ran down my spine at this woman's cruelty. I didn't deserve to live any more than any other person, but I couldn't help but feel the want to live. To survive.

"And be like the Vulkers, Zaerdra?" The man's scowl was evident in his voice. "I will never let us fall to that."

Even if it was only to not be like these 'Vulkars', I was grateful the man spared me.

At that moment I decided to ignore the rest of the conversation and finally open my eyes. Whoever was talking, they were either behind a door or a wall, so there should have been minimal threat to looking around.

I opened my eyes and was met with a cement ceiling. _Yup. Definitely a dream. No way I'd have fallen asleep on my back._ I thought airily.

All fear vaporized, instantly replaced by curiosity and a hunger for adventure and knowledge. I forced myself to sit up, trying to ignore the pain jabbing my skull and leaving me a headache.

The scene in front of me was not at all what I was expecting. A counter that could serve as a shelf containing medical supplies and a few parts for what looked like a Star Wars droid, a footlocker hugging the wall to my right, and a door to my left that definitely didn't look like it belonged on earth. A chair hugged the wall directly next to the door, accompanied by a small end table with a cup on it containing some type of liquid.

I nodded. "So that clears that up. I'm definitely dreaming."

I looked around once more before I shrugged my shoulders manically. "I guess I may as well ride with it. Dreams like this don't last long, anyways. I suppose I should savour it while it lasts."

I stood up with a little bit of struggle, my leg's being a bit wobbily. My eyebrows drew together in a cautious, disapproving glare. _Now that's not normal. Usually I have all the strength I need to carry myself from place to place in dreams._

I decided to ignore the minor setback and see if I could get anything from the footlocker.

"Erm..." I stared at the white container, confused. I placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair a little bit. "I, uh.. I guess I never really knew how to open one of these thing's." I said to no one but myself. It was then that I felt the crusted liquid my fingertips skimmed over. A bit alarmed, I drew my hand back in front of my face to see what it was. There was no liquid, just a faint imprint of red. I gasped and recoiled my hand back to my head. "Blood?" I asked myself in a coarse whisper.

Realization dawned on me cruelly as I briefly considered that this wasn't a dream. If so, would probably never see my parents again, I would probably never see my little sister again, and I would probably never see any of my loved ones again. Hell, I'd probably never see Earth's dirt again.

I sat down in front of the Footlocker, eyes wide, not really grasping the situation fully yet. _Either I'm on the set of a movie, or..._ My own thoughts didn't make sense to myself, but I continued, _I...? I could be in a Star Wars universe, and on Taris..._ I broke off, a million thoughts coming to my head at once.

_This makes no sense. Do I go with it? Do I try to wake up? What should I do?_

I felt a stronger headache coming on all at once. Joy, excitement, lament, and depression all came bursting through to me. _If it's true, then... This is so cool! I'm.. I'm.. I'm living my DREAM! I've always wanted to be in a Star Wars universe! Maybe.. Do you think.. Do you think I could become a Jedi? This is so cool!_

My mind swam with confusion. _No. I'm probably suffering from a horrible concussion and hallucinating. That must be it._

I looked up at the footlocker and did what I always did when enormous amounts of stress overloaded me. I pushed away every thought of the cause and focused on something else.

I was about to try and figure out the white cube when another realization dawned on me. _Malak is going to destroy Taris! And I'm ON Taris! Crap. CRAP._

I got into a firm sitting position and prepared myself for a panic attack that never came. _This is not real._ My face rose up into determination, a tiny bit of fear and hope fluttering in my heart. _But if this IS real... I have GOT to find Revan. That's my only chance off this backwater planet._

I took a moment to wonder to myself. _I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but... I wonder what Revan is actually like. I mean, it's not as if I'm the one playing the character now. This isn't a game anymore, and I'm not the former Sith Lord. Is Revan going to be a male or female? I mean, male Revan was canonical, but.. Bah. What am I sitting around wondering for when I could be finding out for real?_

I looked down at the footlocker that I had yet to open. "Well, I guess should be able to just press this blue button right here and it should open." I mused. Doing so, I congratulated myself when the lid flew up, revealing some supplies and a few other things. My eyebrows shot up as I saw a padded uniform-type outfit.

I held it up in front of me, examining it. "No way. This is exactly what I wore in the game. Defense bonus: Five." I set it down in my lap and looked at it as if it were something from a different planet. Hah, joke's on me. "There's no way that could actually work now, is there? I mean, a real blaster would just cut right through anything I'm wearing." I gulped, that statement really hitting me.

_This new universe is a lot more deadly than the one back home. A bullet shot I can heal from, a blaster shot will go straight through me and probably leave me dead. I'll have to be extra careful._

I looked through the footlocker some more, finding a few metal capsules with what looked like a needle on the end. I raised an eyebrow. "Stimulants?" I asked.

I sighed, already knowing the consequences this galaxy would have. "I never needed them in the game, but I'll probably need them now. I am a non-force-sensitive human stuck on a foreign world, after all." Again, another shot to the gut.

_Facts are I probably won't end up being a Jedi. This really makes thing's alot harder._

I searched through the footlocker, specifically looking for something. A triumphant smile made it's way onto my face when I saw exactly what I was looking for: A bag. I quickly stuffed all the stimulants I could find into a pocket, hesitating when I looked at the light armor.

"I most likely won't be able to move as well in the armor, not to mention if blaster holes are just going to penetrate me anyways, what's the point? I'd rather be able to move than be some big stump of a target."

The wooshing sound of air unlocking something and the sound of metal rubbing against metal made me jump up in shock and turn around.

"You see? She's a thief, Gadon!" Said the female voice.  
I looked up at my capturers like a deer in the headlights. My mouth dropped open as I looked upon the woman speaking. If this was makeup and costume effects, the person doing them was insanely good. She looked exactly like a purple Twi'lek. Her lekku had no indication of being separated from her head and was smoothed to perfection. They twitched in irritation and I watched in amazement. If I had needed proof this was real, this was certainly doing it for me more than the footlocker.

Apparently my expression was perplexing, because the Tw'ilek's face faltered for a second before returning to the hardened bodyguard expression.

_Great, I thought. Two second's in meeting the people and they already think I'm a villain._

I stood up and raised my hands on both sides of my head, indicating I was of no threat.

"Hey, I'm not here to steal anything. I was just looking for my stuff." I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. "But it'd be nice if I could get some information." I lowered my arms and walked slowly and cautiously towards the people, eyes on who I knew to be the blind man named Gadon.

He frowned. "Now hold on a second. We're the ones asking questions, here. You give us what we need and we'll just send you on your way."

I forced myself to nod in response, knowing only as an after-thought that he couldn't see it.

 _Don't really know what information I'll be able to give, but go ahead and ask. Interrogate at will._ I stopped and made a face. _Great. I sound like Carth._

I suppressed a shake of the head and prepared to be bombarded with questions.

The partially-purple Tw'ilek shook her head, glaring at me. I took a moment to just look at her, hoping I didn't look like some confounded idiot. I mean, an alien? Not normal. At least not in my world. This was something I would have to try and get used to if I was going to appear as non-threatening and racist as possible. Maybe it was a good thing I was on Taris, since they were so anti-alien in the up-world.

Her face looked that of a human, besides the abnormal coloring. But I thought the shades of purple and pale skin coloring only added to her natural beauty. Her lekku came down to her shoulders and ended at her chest, creating an elegant-looking atmosphere to her bodyguard exterior. Her skin looked much like that of a human, except softer. Her lekku had a glossy shine to them, like a frog's back, and the the lights bounced off of them freely. Her body looked like a regular woman would, clad in light armor full of weapons galore.

 _What I wouldn't give to have a few of those on me._ I mused.

Gadon's voice broke my examination of the newfound wonder. "Do you have any idea what you were doing in the Lower City? Judging by your appearance you don't look to be from here, not to mention if you were you probably would have been able to handle yourself with those Vulkars."

I looked up at him, trying hard to keep my face void of emotion. Masks of monotone were not my specialty.

_Vulkars? So he thinks I was attacked by the rival gang. I don't look like I'm from here? How can he tell?_

I opened by mouth to try and give any kind of response that would fit for him, but only ended up looking at him helplessly. What could I possibly tell him? "Hey, I'm from an alternate dimension where you're just pixels on a screen!" That'd go down real well.

As much as I didn't like lying to people I knew probably wouldn't harm me, I had no other choice. And honestly, I got the feeling I would be doing a lot of lying in the near future. The best I could do was stick to answers that didn't give much away.

"I don't know what I was doing in the lower city, really. I don't even remember anything before I woke up here. I do know that I'm not from here, though." I decided to ignore replying to his remark about me not being able to handle myself. "In fact, I was hoping you would be able to tell me a little bit about how I got here."

 _There's definitely no underlying message there._ I sarcastically said in my mind. Not like they'd know anyway.

Gadon nodded lightly and casually felt along the wall until his hand met the arm of the chair seated next to the end table. He seated himself and leaned back in his chair, looking directly through me. "The Hidden Bek guard at the front door saw you running from a couple of Vulkars, and as any good Bek would do, shot them down before they could cause anymore strife. Unfortunately, you were shocked with a Bothan stunner before the last Vulkar went down,"

I snorted and smiled while shaking my head. "That would do it," I muttered. I hoped I didn't look too nervous.

His dead-looking eyes lowered in a boredly condescending manner. "Yes, well, the guard brought you in here and we took you in, healing your injuries."

I raised an eyebrow, the sharp pain in my skull suddenly returning. "That doesn't explain how I got this," I said, pointing to the injury.

Gadon shrugged as if it didn't really matter. "You probably got knocked over the head at one point or another."

I mirrored his shrugging. "Guess it doesn't matter now, does it? Either way I still have a ghash on my head."

He let out a low humorless chuckle. "Guess so. Do you remember anything before that time?" He asked.

I lowered my eyes and looked him straight in his, even though he couldn't see mine. _Yep. Last night I was on the computer until four in the morning playing a game about Star Wars, a.k.a. your dimension. I listened to Bach last night, too. Love the Cello. I was also reading about Bao-Dur, a Tech that's probably somewhere talking with Ithorians right about now; setting up something for the new Telos Restoration. At least, it's new right now. In about four or five years it'll be one of the most common things ever, and won't have any real success until a certain Jedi Exile shows up._

"I don't," I told him, contemplating just exactly what I should do. "I think that maybe some memories might come back if I just simply wait it out. Until anything comes back, I don't really have a place to go." I hinted. I could clearly see he knew what I was going to ask. "Do you think I could stay here for a little while?"

His brows furrowed, but he nodded. "Yes, you can stay here until your memories return. But until then, you can pay it off by working."

I understood where he was coming from, but that didn't mean I liked it. The thought of 'work' in general was enough to bring out my inner laziness and simply decline. But the thought of working alongside Star Wars people caught my interest.

"You can't be serious, Gadon! We can't trust her." Zaerdra spat.

Gadon threw her a disapproving glare. "Calm down, Zaerdra. It's only for a little while. Besides, it's not like she's going to try something in my own base."

I would have given him a grateful smile, had it not been for the growing memorization he couldn't see me.

He stood up. "Our private Cantina is just down the hall if you're looking to unwind, and the refresher is right next door." He gestured - a little off-kilter - to a door next to the bed I had been sleeping on.

"The Kitchen is a few rooms away from the Cantina, and if you ask the cook I'm sure he'll be willing to feed you. When you're ready to begin your work, come see me. I'll be in the common area with Zaedra going over a few work issues."

I gave him my thanks, and with that, he was gone.

I sat cross-legged on my new bed and closed my eyes. _If I'm going to get off this planet before the Jawless Wonder bombs the place, I'm going to need a plan. Force knows Carth won't just let me join the crew, and I don't even know what Revan is going to be like. I could see if I could go talk to Mission, but what good would that do me? I most likely wouldn't be able to forge a strong enough bond with her for me to tag along when she joins Revan. Zaalbar is out of the question. Canderous only joins with Revan because he needs the help. What good would an inexperienced kid do him? That leaves the only remaining crew member on this planet._ I opened my eyes.

_Bastila._

/ / / / / //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// / / / / / / / /

I don't think I could ever remember a time where I had so much fun simply taking a shower. The unknown complexities of the supposedly thought simple shower system was fun to play with, not really knowing what I was doing but deciding to have a go at it anyways. I ended up being knowledgable in the ways of the shower system and successfully cleaned myself. It took me a few moments to find where they stored their towels, and I was thankful they still used them instead of an automatic dry-cleaning system.

Clad in only a towel, realization took its course as I looked down at the clothes I had been found in. I didn't have anything to change into. But worse than that, I only had one bra and one pair of underwear! I was going to have to find something else to wear soon. I didn't have much hope for a bra, seeing as how almost nowhere on Earth held my breast size. But hey, you never know. If I ended up traveling with Revan, there were quite a few planets to choose from for clothing variety. Then again, there were no clothing stores in the game. Just how closely would this timeline follow to the game at home? I guess I would find out.

I looked around and furrowed my eyebrows after making a conclusion. "Where's my shoes?"

I sighed. When I woke up I had no shoes, either. I wore the outfit I had fallen asleep in: My fishnet stocking's with my dark shorts that I wore all the time over them, my blue tank top, my black necklace with a cross hanging down from it that could probably serve as a choker, and a belt wrapped around the shorts. Around my wrists were many hair bands, all various colors.

Being in the cold, cement rooms of the Hidden Bek base, I suddenly wished I had been wearing something that covered me better.. Or at least that I would have been allowed to bring a sweater. Although, if I knew I would be in an alternate universe at all, I probably would have packed up my family and planned to never come back to Earth.

I redressed myself in the clothes I had came in and returned to my new temporary room.

I sat down - shoeless - on my bed, cross-legged, and closed my eyes.

_Time to put my magical thinking skills to work. I need to figure out a plan off this rock, and quick. Bastila is probably the only one I'm going to be able to work with, and not just because she's the only one who will probably listen. She's a Jedi, and if she's anything like the person she was in the game, she should know what's going on enough to know I'm needed here._

I opened my eyes and looked to the side, as if someone were staring me down to pry open the truth. _Well, not really needed, but valuable I guess?_

I laid down - leg's bent towards the ceiling - and relished the feeling of relaxation. _I can help in the way of knowing how everything plays out. Lightside or Darkside, I know what happens. And maybe my knowledge is exactly the key to getting with the crew._ I couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto my face as I thought of the possibilities of new beginnings and endings. I closed my eyes. _They're real people now. I wonder how much different they'll be.. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I still have yet to make a plan._

I smirked at myself. _Gee, for someone on a planet scheduled to be blown up, I sure am calm. Probably because I don't entirely believe in this whole charade yet. I'm probably just dreaming or hallucinating._

I rubbed the back of my head where the dried blood had come from. The shower had washed down lots of bloodied and filthy-looking water, but when I touched my head, there had been no wound.

I put my hands behind my head and began to do crunches. _Well, it's obvious if I want to get to Bastila in time, I'm going to have to do it before the Swoop Race. Which means I'm going to have to actually find Bastila. A good place to start would probably asking some questions. I'm sure Gadon knows at least something. In the game he said, "..The only way to get your friend back is to win the swoop race.." But he never said anything about where she might be stored. If he does know something, I'll have to ask specifically. If he doesn't know anything, I'll ask around Javyar's cantina. If that fails, I can always go for the direct approach._ I shook my head and frowned, still doing crunches. _I doubt I could take down the entire Vulkar base. But who says I have to? I may only need to remove one bodyguard to get to the person I need to. If I manage to get past the guards blocking the entryway in the Lower City, then the room with the Green Tw'ilek is only a few steps away. If I can get to him and get him to talk to me without killing myself, he could possibly know something too. I don't plan on 'rescuing' Bastila. I'll leave that headache to Revan. I just need to simply talk to her._

I laid down again, stomach muscles tired from my daily exercise. _I don't know if this'll work. But I know if I don't try, then I've lost the game anyway._ I snorted. How ironic that sentence was, now.

I got up and walked over to the footlocker. "Time to fix my excruciating shoe predicament."

I rummaged through the box, and found many shoes, but none my size. I huffed and stood up, deciding Gadon would probably know best.

I almost fell over in exasperation when I realized I didn't know how to open doors, either.

"Grrrr..." I grumbled. After a few moments of examination, I decided to just press a random button on the small console in the middle of the metal doorway. Much to my luck and appreciation, it opened.

"Note to self: Press that button again when you need doors to open for you in the future."

I triumphantly strode across the room, happy with my newfound knowledge on the complex system called 'doors'.

Upon my arrival, Zaerdra glared at me. I didn't return her glare, but instead smiled almost in pity. There was no use hating someone who was going to die in the near future.

I turned to Gadon, who looked like he knew of my presence. "Gadon, I was wondering if you had some shoes I could borrow. I looked through the footlocker in the room you gave me and found many, but none that fit. Can you help me with this?"

The older man looked like he was about to chuckle, but instead nodded in the general direction of his Tw'ilek bodyguard. "I'm sure Zaerdra can find someone to help you with that." He said.

I said a silent 'thank you' to him before following the purple-skinned wonder.

None too soon after we had turned a corner, she turned around to face me with a look deadlier than a starving vicious T'ukata on the loose.

"I don't trust you for anything," She spat, acid overflowing in her voice. "One wrong move and I have the clearance to shoot you dead. Understand?"

I nodded my compliance, deciding my voice probably wasn't what she would be looking for at the moment.

"I dare you to make a wrong move. It'll be your last."

I looked up into her eyes. _As a protector, it's your job to make sure something bad doesn't happen, not provoke it._ But of course I would never tell her that. She wouldn't take words like that from someone like me.

She pushed me in front of her, obviously not trusting me at her back. I sighed softly. _This relationship between us probably won't get better with time, will it? Not that we have a lot._

We finally made our way to the designated area, even with the Tw'ilek behind me that practically had her blaster to my back during the entire trip. An Ithorian was hovering over some type of workbench, lost in his work.

"Aarrom!" Zaerdra cried. I jumped at her sudden outcry. _What, is he deaf or something?_

The Ithorian bobbed up and turned around, obviously startled. **"Zaerdra! You mustn't startle me like that!"** The Ithorian named Aarrom stated.

The Tw'ilek beside me grinned. "Gotta keep those senses sharp, old man!"

I stared, flabberghasted, at the two aliens. _Forget your little reunion! I just understood what he said!_

I looked, shocked, from one foreign face to another, mouth ajar. Suddenly the Ithorians eyes flitted over to me, and made an expression to which I can only guess would be an eyebrow raise on a human.

 **"Who is your companion?"** He asked.

Zaerdra's grin faded as she looked over at me with obvious disgust. "Just someone Gadon took in. She needs some shoes."

The Ithorian glanced at my shoeless feet before returning to look at Zaerdra. **"I see."** He waved me over to follow him. He looked through numerous footlockers in the room before finally coming to one he decided he liked. He opened it and picked out a pair of semi-tennis shoe hiking boots by the laces. He squinted at them before handing them to me.

I smiled my thanks and eagerly sat down on the cement floor. _These actually look really comfortable. And considering I'll probably be doing a lot of traveling, comfort is exactly what I'm looking for._ I stood up in them and grinned, ignoring Aarrom's plea's to sit me down in a chair. _They_ are _comfortable!_

I looked up at him and my smile faded. "What do I owe you?" I asked.

He looked at me disbelievingly. **"Nothing. Any friend of Gadon's is a friend of mine. And besides, they are just shoes. No one else here wears that size anyway."**

It was now my turn to stare at him disbelievingly. "Really? Thank you!"

 _I've always liked Ithorians._ I thought fondly.

I turned back to Zaerdra. "Can we go back now? I'm officially ready to start proving my worth."

She rolled her eyes and motioned to follow her back, obviously thinking I didn't know the way. And let's be honest, any sane person would. But I did know. I probably knew everything there was to know about what I would experience here. However, no one else knew that, of course. Although, her letting me be behind her was an improvement from a few minutes ago.

When we got back, Gadon directed his bodyguard - and my new tour guide - to show me the way to the swoop engine mechanics. Zaerdra, of course, threw a fit about it, but in the end obliged.

A low-patience but friendly green Tw'ilek named Boc showed me how to work a Swoop bike. Not that I would be using one anytime in the near future, but whatever. It was still pretty cool. He explained what parts made what work and how to maneuver the running portions of the bike. He then showed me how to make the brakes on a Swoop, then allowed me to attempt to make one myself. I wasn't quite sure what I would need to make Swoop Brakes for, but I did so anyway. In the end he chuckled and thanked me, putting my work in a 'parts' bin for some people to pick up later.

After Boc told me I was free to leave, I headed back to where I thought Gadon might be. I wasn't exactly sure what I had really done to prove I was trustworthy, but I thought I'd just ride with it.

When I got into the common room my heart almost stopped. There stood a blue Tw'ilek, alongside her a Wookiee. Both were casually talking to Gadon.

"Yeah," Mission said, voice dropping an octave at the end of the word. "We ran into some people I'd never seen before in the Cantina. They'll probably come here later. Said they were lookin' for a friend." She glanced up at Zaalbar before leaning in to whisper to Gadon. "Big Z here didn't get to finish his food, and you know how he get's when he doesn't get fed properly. Do you think we could sneak in the kitchen and get us some grub?"

Gadon chuckled. "Sure. Go on ahead and get whatever you need to. We wouldn't want an angry Wookiee, now would we?"

I swore I heard Zaalbar grumble something about 'Mission's fault'.

_Guess that means I can understand Wookiees too? Yay to the multi-lingual me! I can't help but feel something's off, though. Other people take years to learn language's I already magically know. And I'm not even from here!_

Mission and Zaalbar left to go to the kitchen, not even noticing me. And if they did, they showed no sign of it. I couldn't help but stare after them a bit longingly. I mean, I already knew them both. They just didn't know me.

I suddenly felt very alone.

Once they were completely out of my sight, I swallowed the loneliness and trodded up to Gadon.

"Boc said I've finished my work. Is there anything else you need me to do?" I asked.

He looked in the direction of my voice and stared through me. "Nothing that I can think of. We never really needed your help, anyway. But we needed something to pay off your debt, now didn't we?"

I suddenly felt very leery of the man I was beginning to respect. "Er... I.. guess so." I replied.

"Say.. How well can you use a blaster?" He asked. I didn't like where this was going. Not the blaster part, of course. I was fine with that. But what he might be suggesting I do for him was what was starting to worry me. I put my thumbs in my pockets and leaned a little heavier on my right hip. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty dang good."

_A partial truth. I've never shot a blaster before, but I've shot various types of guns. And yeah, I am a pretty dang good shot. I've been shooting them practically since infancy, thanks to my military father._

He looked pleased with this new discovery. "Good." He drawled out the 'oo' part, making me stifle a creeped-out expression. He may not be able to view it, but I'm sure Zaerdra would have something to say about it.

"You see, a few days ago-" He was cut short by a certain Blue Tw'ilek waving to Zaerdra. "We're headed down to the Undercity, Gadon. See you later!" She said enthusiastically. I smiled at her knowingly, trying to focus on her happiness and ignore the fact that Zaalbar would be captured very soon. She looked at me oddly before turning around to face Zaalbar, following him outside the Bek Base. _Yeah, I imagine it'd be a little odd for her. Second person she's seen today that she doesn't know._

I turned back to Gadon. "Like I was saying, a few day's ago The Vulkars stole from us an important artifact - A prototype accelerator."

I resisted a face palm. _Don't you even tell me he's going to ask_ me _to go get it for him?_

"This Accelerator aids a Swoop Engine. A bike with the Accelerator can best any other bike out there! The Vulkars are planning to use it to win this year's Swoop Race." He said, practically glowing with pride for the mechanical object.

I shifted my feet and leaned on the other hip. "Okay, so? It's just a yearly Swoop Race. Is there something special about it this year?" I already knew good and well why Brejik wanted to win the race. Bastila, of course. I was just trying to stall long enough for Revan to get here. The sooner Revan got here, the lesser of a chance I would need to do this chore. But that also meant less time for me to get to Bastila.

Gadon's brow furrowed in annoyance. "Besides the fact we Bek's want to win? Yes. There's a Republic Officer for the prize this year, And I'm willing to bet those Vulkars will stop at nothing to keep her."

I glanced over my shoulder to check if a certain former Sith Lord was walking in before sticking both my hands into my pockets. "What's so special about her?"

I obviously said something wrong, because Gadon looked at me like I was unbelievably stupid. "She's a Republic Officer!" He said, his voice matching his expression.

I nodded as if realization had dawned on me. "Ohh, yeah. Okay. I see now. Big money on the slavery market, right?"

He nodded. Zaerdra's expression turned cold and her stance took on caution. I almost smiled, because I knew that meant that behind me stood my possible future. I turned around and felt my heart speed up to a million miles an hour.

 _It's female!_ Was my first thought. There stood a woman with a semi-hardened expression, piercing crystal blue eyes, and milk chocolate brown hair that stood in a french braid that fell to her waist. She had a partial-muscular build that was covered by Scout's clothing. A stray strand of hair fell on her forehead. All in all, she was breathtaking. I examined her clothing further. Something was off...

"Are you Gadon?" She asked, after raising an eyebrow at me.

I looked beside her. This time I was sure my heart was going to shoot out of my chest. Lo and Behold, there stood Mr. Carth Onasi; Clad in Orange Jacket and all. Stress wrinkles outlined his face from past experiences, and wrinkles from many laughs and smiles were beginning to form from new ones. I could only smile involuntarily as my thought's lingered to how far along Revan and him might be in their relationship. _I mean, since she's female there's no stopping a relationship from forming._ I frowned sadly. _But if a relationship does form, he'll have to go through all that trauma when she leaves..._

By now pretty much everyone was giving me an odd stare, though still lazily intertwined with their own business. I looked around before my eyes locked with Carth's brown ones.

"Er... Right. Sorry." I stepped back to let Revan and Carth more easily speak with Gadon. I looked at his un-seeing eyes before glancing back to female Revan, to only return to him. "Visitors. Maybe you can tell me later...Although you won't have to." I whispered the last part. He raised an eyebrow at my mumbling's, but didn't say anything further.

I stood next to Zaerdra and listened to the all-too-familiar conversation. Nothing really caught my attention until Gadon said something along the lines of, "I lost my eyesight in a Swoop race awhile ago. I rely on these artificial replacements to see, now."

 _Wellp._ I thought, astounded. _THAT'S certainly something I missed before._ I suddenly felt an itching guilt creep up on me. _All this time I've been neglecting showing him proper thanks because I thought he was blind. He probably thinks so little of me..._

I looked over at him, not missing his glance in my direction. He knew exactly what I had heard, and I knew right then that he didn't hold anything against me. _I bet it probably happens a lot..._

The guilt still stayed, though.

"So what do you say?" He asked. Revan glanced back at Carth as if to contemplate with him. He gave a curt nod and she turned back to Gadon. "Okay. Uniforms in exchange for the papers."

Gadon grinned smugly. "Excellent." He drawled the word out, with that weird voice of his. "Now, there is one condition," He said, after they had exchanged the cumbersome equalities. I looked at him, eyebrows drawn. I don't remember any condition's before the Vulkars base... This is new.

He looked at me, the same smug expression on his face, before turning back to Revan. "I want you to take someone with you."

Carth was well and ready to retort, but Revan stepped in before him. "Besides Mission?" She asked, full of attitude.

Gadon nodded and gestured to me. "It'll be safer if we send someone with you."

Me and Zaerdra reacted at the same time; saying in unison: "WHAT?"


	2. Acquaintances and Cautions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Italic font: thoughts or emphasis  
> Bold font: sentences spoken in language other than basic

"WHAT?!" I asked, eyes open as wide as they could possibly go.

_Well, this certainly makes my predicament better. But this is compeltely unexpected! And a bit of a.. coincidence._ A shockingly strange truth hit me. _There are no coincidences when the Force is involved. And Revan certainly is Force involved. But what do I have to do with anything?_

I turned sharply to look at Zaerdra, then back at Gadon. 

"Gadon, you can't be serious!" Her crispy tone voiced. "She's just some stranger off the streets!"

Gadon held up a hand to silence her. "I know what I'm doing, Zaerdra." He looked at me. "I was going to ask you to do this job, anyway. You might as well go with them, seeing as how there's no work here for you to do."

I opened my mouth in a mixture of disbelief and protest. I didn't exactly mind going, but I didn't exactly know how safe it was to go, either. Precaution was something I wasn't very skilled in, but I decided I better start using it, nevertheless. Who knew what would happen if I died in this realm?

"You better get going!" Gadon exclaimed.

Revan put a hand on her hip. "Gadon, I assure you me and my companion can handle ourselves. We don't need any help."

Gadon smiled malevolently. "Ahh, yes, but I was already going to ask her to go on this mission anyway. A little competition might keep you on your toes!"

Revan furrowed her brows and scowled at him. She then looked me up and down. Her long eyelashes were like butterflies, following her every move over my stature. She then sniffed. "Not much competition if you ask me."

I shrunk in on myself a little. 

Revan crossed her arms and stuck out her left hip. "Alright Gadon. I'll be back here in 20 minutes with the armor. Make sure your pet isn't late."

My eyebrows shot up at that. _Pet??_ I thought indignantly. _Damn. This Revan is_ rude.

She twirled towards the door, her long braid smacking her in the side. 

_I better go pack while I still have time._ I thought.

I ran back to my room and immediately began searching for a bag.

_I hope he wanted to let me take some of this stuff, because he's the one sending me into my potential death in the first place._

I triumphantly smiled when I saw a pack that could hang around my shoulder and end at the hip. I took it and removed the stimulants from the other pack and put them in the new one, stopping when it was halfway full. I turned around to the shelf full of medpacs and stuffed them in the bag. I stopped and looked around, frowning. Something was missing..

Then it hit me. "Of course!" I muttered.

I stood up and trotted back to Gadon. That's just what I do. Trot. I don't walk. Walking stinks. I trot. It's just something I do unconsciously. 

"Hey Gadon. I don't suppose there are a few Blasters I could use, are there?"

The older man looked at me before taking on a thinking pose. After a few moments he snapped a finger and pointed at me. "You know what? There's a blaster Boc told me he was working on to add to the armory. I bet if you ask him he would be more than happy to lend it to you."

I stood, yet again, flabberghasted. "Boc works on blasters, too?" I asked.

Gadon nodded. "He works on mostly everything around here."

I made an 'o' with my mouth. "Jack of all trades, huh?"

Gadon looked obviously confused. 

_He's unfamiliar with the term(?). They probably don't use it around here._

I waved my hand in an excusing gesture. "Forget about it. I'll be back once I have that blaster." I winked, flashing a saucy smile.

I could hear a low chuckle and a shake of the head behind me, emanating from the older gang leader. I walked around a few familiar corners, heading to the last place I saw the green Twi'lek. The Swoop Hangar.

When I got there, I was greeted by a room full of nothing but silence and partially-finished bike parts, so I jumped when I heard a gruff voice behind me. I sharply turned around to face the voice and was met with a less-than-friendly-looking Trandoshan.

" **What are you doing in here?** " He asked in his reptillian tongue. The look he gave me sent a shiver down my spine.

"I was just in here looking for Boc." I said simply, the shiver not showing at all through my matter-of-factly voice. (Though I'm sure he saw it. Those reptile-humanoid thing's can be pretty observant, you know.)

He scowled at me. " **Humans aren't allowed in here. Get out.** "

Though I was sure if I argued I could lose my life, I stood indignant. "I really need to see Boc. Do you know where he is?"

The Trandoshan only scowled further. " **Get. Out.** "

I took a step backward as worry crept up my neck. Maybe... The racism on this planet works both ways?

I went out the door and walked down the hallway swiftly, peeking backwards every now and then to make sure the Trandoshan wasn't following me. The further away I got from the room he was in, the more I just felt annoyed rather than scared. _What an unhelpful jerk. Makes me wish I wasn't so helpless against predators._

Luck seems to like me, though, because as soon as I turned the corner I saw the green mechanic. I smiled, frustration long forgotton, and walked up to him. "Hey. Gadon said you had a blaster I could use?"

He turned to face me. "Blaster? Is there one in particular he had in mind?"

My smile morphed into a suppressed smirk. Aliens speaking basic will never cease to amaze me... Or lose it's peculiarity. "Yeah. He said there was one you were working on recently to add to the armory."

Boc looked at me suspiciously. "Are you sure he said that one in particular?"

I nodded. He raised a non-existent eyebrow and waved for me to follow him. He walked down the hall toward Gadon. Much to my relief, Revan and Carth were still waiting patiently.

Boc whispered something to Gadon while eyeing me disbelievingly. With a nod of affirmation from Gadon and a mirroring gesture from Boc, I was led down a hallway to the armory.

_What's so special about a stupid blaster? Well, other than the fact it can blow people to bits if used properly._

When we got there he walked directly to a large metal footlocker and typed in some type of code into the small console that laid directly in the middle of the metal rectangle. I raised an eyebrow. _Just what kind of blaster is this? Going through all this hassle isn't normal, is it?_

Boc tentatively picked out a regular-looking blaster pistol from the locker. Closing the thin door, he showed it to me with careful precision. "Now this," He said. "This is a special blaster. Have you heard of the all-new energy shields?"

I looked at him amusedly. _Don't tell me this is all about an energy shield?_

"Yeah. I know all about'em."

He nodded, though obviously curious how I knew. "See here, if you turn off the safety, an energy shield will envelope you. It's really quite fantastic."

I couldn't help but feel like it really wasn't fantastic. To me, who was used to much greater thing's, this was really normal. And here he made it sound all cool and stuff. It's just because I'm used to the thing's. That's all. Though, then again.. I'm not the one making one of these thing's. I couldn't even make the scope for a blaster rifle. He examined my expression and gave one of his own, one that reminded me of a salesperson about to say, 'But wait! There's more!'

He showed me a few other locks next to the safety. All of them had particular coloring. "This blaster also has different setting's. Red is, of course, the safety." He pointed to a blue one. "This is the stun setting. It'll stun any opponent it hits within a seventy foot radius!"

My eyebrows shot up. "Impressive. That could be really useful, seeing as how I don't really wanna kill anyone."

He chuckled and gave me a look. "Believe me, you'll have no choice someday."

I gulped.

He pointed to a white one. "This is the restrain setting. It's somewhat like a training setting. It will hurt your opponent, but it won't critically injure them." He then grinned sardonically, looking at a black one. "This one will electrocute your opponent."

I looked up at him, feeling a sadistic twist somewhere in my mind. "It won't kill them, will it?" I asked.

His grin never faltering, he answered, "It depends on how long you want to electrocute them. A certain amount of time will place them in a catatonic state, whilst other amounts of time may only wound them. Or, in other cases.. Kill them."

I looked at him, eyelids low, and gave him a condescending expression. _And you're giving_ me _this?_

His grin only got wider. (If that was possible. His face oughta split in two!)

"Okay. Red, Blue, White, And black. Got it. Anything else?" I asked.

He shrugged, grin dropping. "Only that you be very careful with this."

I nodded, then glanced inside the footlocker behind him. "Do you have anything more practical?"

He frowned. "You don't want this blaster?" He asked.

I looked back to him and gave him my best puppy dog face. "Of course I do! It just seems a bit much for a little trip to the Vulkar base, doesn't it?"

He looked at me in an unapproving understanding. "You have no idea what those Vulkars are like, kid." He shoved the blaster into my arms. "Just take it. I'll see if I can find you something more 'practical' for the other hand." He turned around and shuffled through various weapons, mumbling something about 'ungrateful humans' in Tw'ileki.

He came up a few moments later with a regular shooting pistol, though it had been obviously modified. See, I'm not an expert with blasters, but I know when a gun's been heavily modified, and I could certainly tell that this blaster had been. But I didn't take much of a look at it besides that.

No, I was looking at something else. The footlocker held something that looked much more desirable. I pointed at it casually. "Hey, can I see that one?"

He turned around after handing the pistol to me and looked at the blaster in question. "This one?" He asked incredulously. He pulled out one that looked much like my favorite gun back home. The AK-47. The gun my favorite droid was named after: HK-47. I nodded eagerly.

He looked at me like I was a homicidal maniac. "A young girl like you couldn't possibly handle a gun like this." He said.

I furrowed my brows in slight annoyance. "Oh, yeah? Let me guess, you believe girls should be in the kitchen making sandwiches, too, then?" I asked.

I turned away from him and shuffled around the armory. Finally, after a few moments of looking around, I huffed in defeat. "Do you have any Pistol holsters I could use?"

He raised a nonexistent eyebrow before putting down the blaster I picked out. He opened a footlocker not too far away and sorted through different holsters before picking out one that looked like it might fit me. He threw it over his shoulder and closed the footlocker.

Now, me, being the horrible catch I am, missed it. Not to worry, though. I picked it up.

Boc looked like his eyes were going to bulge out of his sockets. "Be careful! You still have blasters in your hand, if you hadn't noticed!"

I hooked the holster around me and set the pistols in it, not phased by his panic attack. Don't get me wrong. I'm definitely gun safe, but blaster safe? They still didn't seem real to me. Not to mention how light they were. It made the whole 'dangerous' effect kind of fade away.

With no hesitance or shame whatsoever, I took the AK-47 wannabe and examined it fondly. I set it up in my arms and looked through the scope planted on top of it, pleased with how clearly I could see through the magnified circle. I looked up at him. "Anything super about this one?"

Boc looked at me disbelievingly.

I smoothed the metal on it and smiled malevolently. "Besides it being an assault rifle." I swear I saw his eye twitch.

"Nothing, besides it having a scope on it." I nodded approvingly. The simple assault rifle was enough to make me feel at home. I slung it over my shoulder - pleasantries of the black strap attached - and casually walked back down the hall to Gadon. E _ven the Rifle is lighter than a normal gun. That's something I'll have to get used to._

With all the equipment now strapped onto me and my bag slung over my shoulder, I headed back to the foyer of the base.

I smiled brightly at the blind man. "Ready to go."

It was practically perfect timing, because just then Revan and Carth appeared in the doorway. 

Upon seeing me, Carth raised an eyebrow at me, and Revan looked at me weird, but I didn't care.

Gadon chuckled.

The sound of feet behind me announced the arrival of Boc. A light tap on my shoulder made me turn to look at the green Twi'lek. "Here's something I thought you might like, seeing your pleasure with the blaster you picked out."

He handed me a smooth black hunting knife. I stared open-mouthed at it in shock. It had beautiful engravings on it. "Thank you." I said softly.

He smiled and nodded before gesturing to Revan. "Time to go."

I walked towards the former Sith Lord; guilt, pain, and regret ruining the moment in a single thought. _I wish I could save him. I don't want him to die._

Back now turned towards my semi-comrades, I frowned freely. "Let's go." I told Revan. We turned around and headed towards the door, looking like a small flock of birds in a V formation.

Thankfully we got to the guard blocking the Undercity without any problems.

"Hold on there civilian. I'm gonna need to see some security papers." And on went the all-too-familiar conversation. I could tell Revan and was getting annoyed by the end of the conversation, but thankfully it ended before she made a threat and we were obliterated by the gun turrets.

I stared at the black obyss of the guard's helmet lenses. _Should I? I should._ I wanted to do it in the game, but there was of course no option. The guard just continued to stare back at me.

"You a new recruit or something? You're supposed to follow your leaders of higher rank." I ignored his rash tone and once again thanked my older-looking body. I continued to stare into the black lenses of his helmet until I knew he was probably frowning in curiosity.

"Come on, let's go!" I heard Revan call impatiently.

I glanced back at her and Carth, waiting in the elevator. _Better do it now before they leave without me._

I straightened up and put on a solemn face. Then I looked that security guard straight where I thought his eyes would be... And hugged him.

I could practically feel the confusion emanating from him, Revan, and Carth. I let go of the tight embrace and grinned at the guard before running into the elevator. I made sure to send him a slight wave before the doors closed.

"Ehh... You know him?" Revan asked.

I just smiled and nodded. "In a sense."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't question further.

The farther below the slow elevator got, the colder it got. I started to shiver but gritted my teeth to try and suppress the nuisances. _I sure hope this elevator opens soon. Once we start moving I'll warm up. I probably should have brought a jacket, but I didn't see one and I forgot to ask for one..._

Sure enough, not long after I had thought it, the elevator doors opened. I jumped out. "Freedom!" I cried, arms above my head.

Revan shook her head in annoyance while Carth just raised an eyebrow.

"Are we sure this girl is in her right mind?" I heard him mutter to Revan.

"Hey!" A whiny voice cried from the right, interrupting their conversation. "This is our elevator! You wanna come through here, you have to pay the toll!"

I put my arms down and landed them on my hips, frowning. "I'm pretty sure the Sith would have something different to say about that. This is a public elevator."

Revan took her place by my side and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Let me handle this." She whispered.

I just gave her a blank look in response.

"Five credits! That's what it cost to use our elevator!" The one of two brothers continued on.

Revan put her hands on her hips and stomped a foot. "Give me one blasted good reason why I should!" I looked at her in utter disbelief. I so wasn't expecting that. _Bipolar Revan? Or just has a temper?_

The two outcasts summarized their pityful living situations. _Kreia time! My style._

I put my hands down at my sides and stared at them condescendingly. "Then what are you doing here, complaining about it? If you really had such a horrible life you would do something about it, not beg to strangers and guilt trip them." I shook my head. "Leave us. Go do something with your life while you still have one."

One brother looked at the other before shrieking, "Run, my brother!"

I watched after their retreating figures. _Oops._ I could only think, simply. I had unknowingly made a threat. I didn't mean to, of course. I had been once again referring to the future. They were going to die soon anyway.

I turned towards Carth and Revan. "I meant before they die. Of old age or something. You know. Regular non-abnormal stuff."

Revan gave me a bewildered look with a raised eyebrow before turning to leave, but was stopped by a young girl with black hair. "Sorry about those two. They give the village a bad name."

I trailed off with listening to the girl and instead directed my attention to my surroundings. It looked a lot like it did in the game, only more... real. Creepier. The putrid smell of sickness polluted the air, and as I looked at the cement ceiling above me, I couldn't help but feel caged in. Trapped. It was a lot darker than in the game.

The expressions on the passing people made me feel empty inside. This really was a horrible, cruel, way to live. I'd always imagined it was like living as a hobo, you know? Not too bad but not paradise, either. But this was so much worse than anything I'd imagined before. It was as if the life had been sucked out of these people. Like they had no purpose to live.

The people walking the unofficial streets were without emotion, but worse. Like their soul had been sucked from their bodies. It was as if these people had lived in unbearable squalor for so long that all they were struggling to live for was another day of wishing they were dead.

I looked at Revan, feeling dread rise up in my throat. Revan either didn't see my glance or didn't care, because she paid me no mind. Carth had been scanning the area as I had, though, and gave me a look as if to say, 'It'll be alright, kid.'

I nodded, throat dry, and stared ahead. _Time to put my excellent skills of ignorance to work and focus on something else._ Not too far from us, an old man who looked to be in his eighties or nineties was arguing with a dark-skinned man who looked in his fourties.

"Rukil! You crazy old man! Go back to your tent!" I heard. Fear all gone, I smiled at their antics. The older white man squinted at the darker man and then shrugged before deciding to do as told.

"Look.. Uh... We really have to go." Revan told the younger girl, bringing my attention back to their conversation.

The black-haired girl looked depressed at the news, but allowed us to go anyway. _She probably doesn't get much company. Poor girl. Ah, well. She won't have to deal with that for much longer._ Again, thinking to the future.

We walked forward, but were stopped by the old man named Rukil. "You there! Upworlder!" He rasped. "Come closer."

We did so, although the 'Come closer..!' reminded me of some kind of creepy person in a corner. _Actually... That's not far off from what he actually is._ I grinned. Revan gave me a weird look, but returned to talking with the old man.

A few moments later, a scream pierced the damp air, interrupting their conversation.

Revan looked in the general direction of the scream and quickly sprinted towards the sound. And what do you know? There was that girl, screaming her lung's out for the outcast named Hendar.

"Please! Please! You have to open the gate! Hendar will die if you don't!" She shrieked at the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper obviously had internal turmoil, but answered, "I.. I can't. If I do the entire village will die!"

Revan looked enraged. "You coward! Open the gate, I will rid this 'Hendar' of the threat."

The gatekeeper went from stunned, to offended, to begrudging acceptance. "I will open the gate, but you must hurry."

The only response he got from her was a nod.

The girl still terrified for Hendar looked at Revan with admiration and shock. The screeching of the rusting gate announced our leave. I looked out into the new, unsafe areas and braced myself for a hideous monster before grabbing both pistols from their holsters.

Quickly making sure the safety was off on both of them, and making sure the 'special' one was on the regular setting, I ran out behind Revan; Carth trailing closely behind me.

Even prepared, the horridness of the sickly grey monster was terrifying. It had resemblance to a human in it's structure, but that was where the similarities ended. The rakghoul was a sickly grey color with white goo slathering it's skin, a few pieces of the goo being ripped away from the beast every few movements it made. Its mouth was big enough to devour a human head no problem. The many eyes on the monster eyed it's opponent's with a frightening maliciousness, making me seriously wonder if it was safe to come down here in the first place.

The rakghoul chased after Hendar with inceasing speed before stopping briefly to look at Carth, Revan, and I. Revan unsheathed her two long swords she had kept well hidden before the rakghoul lunged at her, claws and teeth at the ready. The moment I saw the rakghoul lunge at Revan, I felt a rush of something in high semblance to fear. Fear for myself, fear for her, and fear I would be able to do nothing about it. Without Revan, what was the point of being in this universe?

Tightening my hands around the pistols in my hands, the only thought than ran through my head before fear took over was: _I sure hope these don't have ammo I can run out of._

I took a frenetic step back, like the rakghoul was lunging at me instead of someone else. I lifted the pistols and shot at the white blob frantically and almost deliriously. Somewhere in the middle of my panic, I felt surprise that the blasters didn't kick. It was somewhat like shooting a watergun, except, y'know.. It renders it's target lifeless. Several blaster shots went into the monster, but it kept lashing unsuccessfully at Revan.

_It's ignoring me? And it's not DYING!_

Blaster shots coming from a different direction announced Carth was having the same problem. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the goo splathered all over the beast seemed to be keeping it safe, somewhat like an energy shield. 

I lowered my eyes and glared at the rakghoul. This time I took care to better aim, and held down the triggers. To my half-surprise, it didn't shoot. It charged up. When I let go of the triggers, two flaming shots of blaster energy was sent to the beasts head.

I didn't have time to look, only time to flinch. I felt something wet and gooey land on my arms and torso, followed directly by a putrid smell. My stomach twisted at the smell, and I felt the all-too-familiar feeling of upheaval before being forced to drop my pistols, clutch my stomach and bend over. But nothing came out of my open mouth, just more retching. Retching turned to coughing as I turned to look at my forced-companions.

Revan was covered with green-white goo just like I was, Carth was trying to calm down the enraged former Sith Lord, and the victim Hendar was running into his love's arms. I looked at the rakghoul before retching again. The monster's head had exploded when I shot at it, covering me and Revan with rakghoo.

Though I was thankful I didn't have to go through the feeling of puking, my retching made me become acutely aware of my empty stomach.

_You're kidding me. I didn't pack any food._ I stood up and held my breath, running as fast as I could away from the horrible smell. _I don't suppose there's a hunger quenching stimulant? Haha._ The words rung humorlessly through my mind.

"Hendar!" The woman flung herself into his arms.

Hendar went limp in the arms of his woman, shuddering and shaking.

"Thank you stranger," The woman said to Revan, tears streaming down her face. "You have saved my reason for living."

Revan waved a subtle, "No problem..." at the couple.

The woman turned to her husband. "Come on, Hendar. Let's go home."

I stepped back outside the gate, taking a good look around while it was still open before the gatekeeper chickened out again and closed it. Surely he wouldn't close it with me outside?

The gatekeeper thanked them. He looked kind. Revan was apparently over the thanking and was already walking away. Carth stayed to talk to him. I was so distracted eavesdropping on their conversation that I didn't notice a a very scary, very furious former Sith Lord marching her way over to me.

"What in Force's name made you do that?! You could have hit me! You're lucky we're only covered in Rakghoul guts right now and not my own!" She yelled.

Revan flung some more Rakghoo off of her arms, still tromping closer to me.

I stuck my hands behind my back and clamped them together. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. The regular bolts weren't working, and..."

Revan rolled her eyes and scowled at me. "Be more careful next time! If you're going to be on this team you need to make sure you're not going to accidentally take one of us out!"

_Team? Does that mean she doesn't actually see me as competition but a possible ally?_

Carth looked over in our direction before nodding towards the gatekeeper and waving, then walking over towards us.

Revan took a menacing step forward and I flinched. "Well.. I, uh.. I actually didn't know the blasters would do that." I answered truthfully.

I watched as Revan's expression turn from rage, to outrage, to fury, to the Apocalypse. I stiffened up and wrapped my arms around myself tightly.

Her hands clenched and unclenched numerous times before she answered, "You mean to tell me Gadon sent _you_ ," She stuck a Rakghoo-slathered finger at me. "With _us..._. and you didn't know that would happen?"

I didn't have a chance to answer.

"Hey, isn't that the Twi'lek we met in the Cantina?" Carth asked Revan, pointing behind me.

Revan ignored him and glared at me, waiting for an answer.

I sighed and looked down at the coarse, rough dirt and put my palms in my pockets before looking up at everyone. "Alright. Time for answers." I looked at Revan. "I didn't know because I'm not from here. On my homeworld, we use a.. Different kind of blaster. I wasn't familiar with the particular one I was using. And if you hadn't noticed, you aren't the only one who got covered in this disgusting Rakghoul residue."

Revan's glare softened, but she still looked discontent. However, it was more of a pout now. I briefly looked at Carth, looking for consolation, but instead found him distracted and not even looking at me.

I looked down at my outfit and felt my face scrunch up into a disgusted expression. _I'm going to have to seriously find different clothes. More so now than before._

"You have to help me! No one else is going to help me! Even the Bek's won't help me!" Came Mission's worried voice. I turned to my right and saw her figure running towards me.

Revan seemed to recognize her immediately. Whatever the attitude she had shown before at having to bring a tag-a-long, it was long gone, as well as any thought about me. "Mission. What's going on?" Genuine concern was plastered on her face.

Mission, now standing in front of me, (Looking a bit winded, might I say.) stared at Revan in shock. "Alora! You have to help me!

"Z-...Zaalbar. He- I mean.. We were just hanging around in the sewers.. You know? And then these Gamorrean slavers came, and-" She stuttered, "These Gamorrean slavers caught us by surprise. I mean, they're usually down there and stuff, but they never really bothered us with Zaalbar around." She looked like she was about to cry.

Carth looked over to the side, eyelids low. "Yeah, well, I guess with a Wookiee at your side you wouldn't be worried about things like that."

Mission nodded softly then varied looking between me and Revan. "Yeah. Except this time.. They- They were ready for us! There was a whole bunch of them, just waiting for us! Zaalbar told me to run, so.. So... I did."

Revan narrowed her eyes menacingly and then proceeded to wipe Rakghoo off of her. She never broke eye contact. "I'll help you get him back, Mission. They will pay. I promise."

Tears slid down the teenager's face. "I thought he would be right behind me!"

Revan embraced her shortly. "It'll be okay. We'll get him back."

Mission sniffled and wiped her nose but nodded hopefully at Revan.

Revan pulled away and squeezed her shoulder. "Now. Lead the way to the sewers."

Mission turned around swiftly, new hope in her step. With her as a guide, we made our way over the greyish dirt into an area of concrete wall. The entrance to the sewers were nearly invisible in the camouflage of its bland surroundings. With Revan taking the lead, we all made our way down into the sewers, one by one.

I took up the rear. It was a very uncomfortable thing for me to go into this strange and pungent hole. I was very claustrophobic and the thought of never escaping the small ladder area was frightening to me. 

As soon as we made it down, the very first door we came across had a bright red lock on it. I turned first to Revan, then to Mission, to see if either of them could unlock it. 

Mission came to the front of the group and examined the door. She brought out a small flat white metal disk and began fiddling with it against the door. After a few minutes of her silently grunting to herself interrupted by, "Ugh, come on!" she turned around to us and put her face in her hands.

"It's a timed lock. I haven't seen one like this before. The Vulkars must have installed it without me realizing. Which means that the codes to get into the Vulkar base may not even still be up to date! This day keeps getting worse and worse!" She sounded worse than defeated. She sounded scared and hopeless. "I left my friend alone and now anything could be happening to him. If I can't get the door open for the Vulkar base, I may never see him again."

Revan put her hands on both of Mission's shoulders again. "I'll blow the whole sewer up with a detonator if I have to. Forget the deal about the door. Let's just calm down and think about thing's rationally." She turned to the door. "It's a timed lock, right? Then that means we'll just wait it out."

Mission removed her hands from her face, tears again threatening to escape. 

"Don't worry, Mission. We're going to help you." Carth said soothingly.

She sniffled and nodded, much calmer than she was a few moments ago.

It was at that moment that my stomach decided to rumble.

Awkwardly, everyone turned to stare at me.

I laughed nervously. "Uhh... I don't know about you guys, but I could stand to eat. And I'm kind of low on rations at the moment..."

Revan rolled her eyes with the vigor of a woman imbued with thousands of years of hatred.

"We might as well get comfy, if we're going to settle down for the day. Not much else to do while we wait." She said.

I breathed a sigh of relief. She was annoyed, but it looked like I was going to get a meal after all. 

/ / / / /

Carth laughed, amused, at my version of the tale of, 'The Mad Revan'. Of course, I didn't use the name 'Revan'. I used her mindwiped name, the name she believed was hers. "Alora".

Earlier Carth showed me how to make a fire using a blaster. It was actually pretty cool, really. I thought you just shot at it and it would catch fire or something, but he did something completely different. He partially took apart his blaster and brought out something from it that looked like a car cigarette lighter. He tapped the back of it and sparks flew out, and after a few tries, viola! There was fire. Though, he said not to do that regularly. He said it could ruin the efficiency of the blaster if done enough, and only to do it in cases like this. In other words, use it as a last resort.

Now we were sitting around a dimming fire, having a good ol' time. The mood had settled down quite a bit, and even though we were in the sewers had dulled some of the cold, it was also very humid down here, and it made chills creep across your skin. In terms of things required to settle down to wait, some form of heat was agreed upon.

"So, Kid. I never caught your name," "Alora" said, looking at me with a slight smile gracing her features.

I looked up at her with a smile of my own, contemplating what I should really tell her. _This is the time to make up a name! I could have a name of anything I like and they would never know. I can be anyone here. But then again, I want a name I would still recognize if called._

"Well, I don't know. What name are you looking for? I have many. "You," "Annoying", "Why did you steal my coffee?"... You'll have to be more specific." I smirked.

Alora rolled her eyes, but still held a playful atmosphere. "I meant your actual name, you Nerfherder."

I grinned. "Apparently I also have the nickname 'Nerfherder'."

Smirks, grins, and smiles chorused through the group before quickly turning to seriousness.

Carth looked at me curiously. "I have to side with Alora on this one. I'm quite curious to know who you actually are."

I nodded nonchalantly, knowing I would probably never gain his trust. "Who I am and what my name is are not connected. A name is something people tag onto a being; it's something people call them by, something to recognize the being or object. Names are irrelevant to know who the person is. Although.." I looked purposely at Alora. "Names do hold a certain amount of power, if tagged onto the right person." I looked purposely at Carth. "Names also create different emotion in others, again, if tagged onto the right person." I looked at Mission. "Disbelief... Loyalty..." I looked back at Alora and smirked. "But I suppose I'm just stalling."

Revan gave me a disgusted look. "For Force sakes. We're not asking for your philosophies, we just want to know what your name is. Spit it out already!"

I shrugged. "My name's Tessa. You don't really need to know my last name, just know I'm a friend."

Carth scoffed. "That will only be told with time, now won't it?"

I shrugged. "I never said you had to trust me, Carth. I just said I'm a friend. But then again, you can only trust my word, can't you? And if I've heard enough about your background, you're not one to trust."

Carth looked at me cautiously, suspicion flared up in his expression. He visibly stiffened, and a new fire sparked in his eyes. "My background?"

I smiled darkly and nodded my head.

"How would you know anything about me?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes, still smiling. "Oh come on, Carth. You can't be an honored, fabled, Republic hero and not expect to be known."

He and Revan both stiffened immediately. Mission looked at Carth with intrigue on her face, something delightful to see replace her worry.

My mind began reel with ideas at the possibilities I could come up with. _Oh, yes. I can already feel a devious plan rising up in my mind. Am I a manipulator? Perhaps. One thing is to be sure of. With these poor people, I will use manipulation to my advantage. I hold all the cards.. And they are labeled, 'Information.'_

"How did you know I'm with the Republic?" He asked harshly.

I pretended to find something interesting in my nails. I decided to make up a backstory for myself right on the spot. "Oh, I like to keep up on the newest information with the Repubz. Actually, Lieutenant Dol Grenn stationed on Telos is my only surviving relative: my great uncle."

At this, the tension in Carth's shoulder's nearly evaporated, but his eyebrows raised suspiciously. " _Grenn??_ Really? I didn't know he had any family in the Republic force."

I waved a noncommittal hand. "Oh, I'm not actually in the Republic. I just like to keep up with the latest news."

Alora and Carth both cast me a weird look, but didn't say anything on the matter. Instead, Revan asked, "So where are you from?"

"Earth." I said, fiddling with a stimulant from my bag. "It's a place way past the Outer Rim. Most people haven't heard about it before, so I wouldn't be surprised if none of you knew about it."

Alora nodded, though something in her expression changed. Like she was hiding something from me. I raised an eyebrow at her, but continued, "Though, I consider Telos my home. Me and my family lived there for a long time before the Sith bombed it."

I glanced at Carth but didn't look close enough to see his expression. "Thankfully, I was off-planet at the time. But my family didn't have the same fate. My parents and my little sister were killed during the attack. When I got back they weren't allowing anyone on the surface, and seeing their names under the MIA board, I hopped on the nearest shuttle to... Well, anywhere really. Then I must have gotten drunk and woke up in Gadon's care, then I ended up with you guys. Anything else you want to ask?"

Alora looked at me impassively before saying, "Yes. Exactly how old are you?"

I stared up at her, a smile forming on my lips. "Well, how old do you think I am?" I asked.

Alora looked thoughtful for a second before giving a triumphant smile. "Eighteen."

Carth snorted. "Twelve."

Mission shook her head at Carth. "No way. Sixteen."

I smiled. I pointed at Carth, "You're completely off," I pointed at Mission, "You're pretty close," And last, I pointed at Revan. Er.. I mean, Alora. "You're correct. I am eighteen."

Carth looked at me, mouth agape, unbelievingly. "You're kidding me, right? There's no way you're eighteen."

I shrugged. "Okay, so I'm seventeen." I crossed my legs into a sitting position and rested my hands on either knee. "But I'll be turning eighteen soon." I stared up at the cement ceiling that left me feeling caged and glared at it as if that would make it disappear. "Just a few more days."

I looked back at the rest of the group, glare gone, and smiled lightly. "Now, let me guess your ages.." I put a finger to my lips in a thinking motion and watched as Alora raised an eyebrow and smiled confidently, Mission looked at me awaitingly, and Carth avoided my gaze.

I smiled at Mission and pointed at her with the appendage that had been previously on my lips. "You're fourteen."

Mission's eyes widened as she smiled brightly at me, entertained. "You're right!" She squealed.

I grinned.

I looked at Alora. "You're thirty-four." Her previous confident look dissipated and she glared at me suspiciously. I couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph. I knew I had won.

I looked to Carth. "You're thirty-six."

His eyebrows drew together into a frown. But then again, Carth frowning was becoming a norm. I wondered if I had guessed right.

Alora scanned all of us, as if to discern any hidden purpose. I just smiled at her sardonically. _Yes, my dear Revan. I do have hidden purposes. None of which any of you will be aware of, though; due to my excellent acting skills._

Her gaze rested on me, as if listening to my thoughts. Without leaving her cold, suspicious stare on my green eyes, she said, "We should all rest. It's been a long day, and if we're going to go into those sewers, we'll need to be well rested. It's almost dusk, anyway."

I raised an eyebrow, dropping my malevolent mask and instead frowning. Almost dusk? Just how long was I working with Boc? _There's no way to tell what time it is, either. I can only take her word for it._

I nodded. "We should take sleeping shifts. If any Rakghoul's come around, the person awake can either rid of it themselves or warn the sleeping sentients."

Carth and Alora nodded in agreement, and Mission looked torn between being enthusiastic and depressed. I guess she decided on neither, because she became serious instead. "I'll take the first shift." She said.

Now, I didn't have a problem with her taking the first shift. But I had an itching feeling that she would need the most sleep, her being the youngest and all.

Carth shook his head. "No. Me and Alora will go first. We can stay up longer, plus we're trained to be alert if anything happens." He said, authority in his voice. After much indignant arguing, Mission begrudgingly complied.

Alora stuck a finger in my direction. "You too, young lady."

That set me off. I glared at Alora, a seed of dislike placed in the far corners of my mind. Instead of arguing, though, I laid down my blanket and rolled over to turn towards Mission.

Mission briefly rolled over to cast a glance at the older couple then looked at me. She was laying on her side, her arm a pillow under her head. She looked at me, annoyed for me at Revan. "Grown-ups." She mumbled.

I nodded and rolled my eyes before sitting down next to her, the mixture of actions making my head spin. "I know, right?"

I looked back to the now arguing couple and rested my elbows on both my knees, resting my head in my hands. "How stupid. They can't even agree on who goes first."

I sighed and laid down next to my blue semi-companion. "We might as well rest. It's not like staying up will do any good." After a moment she heaved a sigh and nodded, reluctantly doing so. It didn't look like she was going to be able to sleep, though. She was restless. That much was clear. _What agony her mind must be in right now._

I rested my head on an arm and closed my eyes; thinking. _It sure is cold down here. Not to mention humid. But it's not even a good kind of humid. It's the kind that sends chills down your spine and leaves sticky wet messes on your skin, making you want to take a shower and scrub it off. Plus the atmosphere. It makes my skin crawl; puts me on edge. I feel like something is going to jump out at me any second._

Minutes seemed to pass, and I tried to regulate my breathing to that of a sleeping person. _In a few hours I'll be that much closer to my goal. We'll have infiltrated the Bek base, and I'll have spoken with that Green Tw'ilek. Hopefully by then I will have found out where Bastila is._ I thought back to all the time's that day Revan had been rude. _I think going for Bastila was the smartest thing I've done since I got here. I mean, I certainly haven't made nice with the other members. Although... I haven't encountered Canderous, yet._

I heard soft footsteps in our direction. _Not reckless enough to be a Rakghoul. or infiltrator from above._ I analyzed. _No reason to open my eyes or get up, then._ The steps stopped, then went a few feet away.

"They're asleep." Alora stated quietly.

I was surprised at how close she was. W _hy didn't I hear her some closer? I need to be more careful._

I could hear another pair of footsteps; probably Carth. "They really are just kids." He said.

There was a pause. "Carth, I don't trust this 'Tessa' person." She whispered.

A shorter pause followed. "Me neither. I haven't told anyone on this planet my age, and yet she guessed it perfectly."

A feminine snort emanated from her person. "You're pretty easy to guess. Me, on the other hand.." I could easily envision Carth rolling his eyes, annoyed. "I didn't even put my real age on my Republic Portfolio. Isn't it interesting some random teenager would guess it?"

Another pause. "Yeah. Did you hear how she was talking? She knows something we don't." Carth said.

"That's not all, Carth." I could hear Alora's scowl in her voice. "I've been to 'Earth'. It's nothing but an uninhabited planet full of darkness. There's no way she could have been from there. It's been like that for well over eighteen years, if that's even her real age."

Another pause, this one longer than the rest. Carth let out a breath through his nose. It sounded like he had a hand near it, probably in a thinking position. "What do you propose we do?" He asked.

"We do nothing. We'll either get the truth eventually, or we won't get it at all. By then it probably won't matter." She told him. Another pause. Footsteps in a different direction announced the leave of one of the two. "It doesn't matter for now, though. I'm going to try and get some shut-eye. You keep watch."

I heard her lay down some few feet above my head.

I inwardly frowned. _Well, this causes small problems._


End file.
